John B

I am amazed you wrote this before getting to disc #3. Their version of Brubeck's "Raggy Waltz" is horrible. I can't believe a track this awful, full of such obvious mistakes, is anything other than the result of a perverse sense of humor toying with the listener and mocking the tune being played.

I've been listening to (and enjoying) 23 Standards, but their version of Brubeck's "Raggy Waltz" is rough. Were they intentionally trying to butcher this tune? I have a hard time believing they included this track for any reason other than a perverse sense of humor.

Is there anyone here who speaks Hungarian and can tell if this label has distribution in the U.S.? I''d love to hear this one.

I'm not familiar with any of the artists in the most recent questions, so no help from me. I listened to the first disc of the Document: New Music From Russia - the '80's set on Leo today. Stylistically much more diverse than I expected. One very long track by a group called Dearly Departed, which synthesizes large amounts of eastern folk music, and three tracks by Volkov Guyvoronsky, which bring things back closer to what I think of as the traditional Leo sound. Thumbs up, for the first disc at least.

1. This has got to be Jimmy Smith or someone heavily influenced by him. Not sure who anyone else is. I’ll guess Kenny Burrell on guitar. I really dig this track. Just like a few tracks on disc #2 this one is taken at a breakneck pace and is a blast. I’m really looking forward to reading who this is. 2. Pops goes the weasel! I already posted a link to my guess for this track. A bit of throwaway fluff, to be sure, but such fun throwaway fluff. It would have been nice to have some more trumpet, but what are you going to do. 3. Nice! The baritone sax adds a really nice touch to this solid latin band. Other than that I don’t have anything to go on. No clue who this is, but I’m looking forward to finding out and exploring the rest of this album. What are they saying? It sounds like “oye mi fatso,” which can’t be right. 4. A live(?) recording of Sonny off of vinyl. This is as harsh as I’ve heard his tone. Other than that I couldn’t tell you anything about the track, other than I really enjoyed it. 5. Ok, now we’re back to more of the bizarre. Over-the-top canned applause, really noticeable flubs, a bass “solo” that seems to trail off and die. This has to be a joke, right? 6. No clue who this is. This isn’t an era I’m particularly well versed in. Very nice. Great sound and great energy. I’d like to find out who this is and hear more from this album. 7. I started off thinking I was going to hate this track, but that odd bass line caught my ear. Definitely not what I was expecting. I like the sax a lot, I like the sultry, almost woozy bass, but the backing track is too lush for my taste. This would have worked better as a quartet or quintet track in my opinion. This has got to be from the mid-1970’s. 8. The singer sounds like late Billie Holiday, no clue who she is. The tenor sounds familiar, but I’m not able to put a name with the tone right now. Not really my cup of tea, but interesting enough to make me curious about the rest of the album. 9. Not my cup of tea. The band is tight, they swing like hell, and the energy here is fantastic, but it is all too much. Too forced, perhaps. I guess my problem is with the arrangement. I would have liked to have heard the tenor stretch out, too. 10. See above. I like this one better than track 9. The soloists have more room to maneuver and the chart isn’t as “forced” to my ears. Still, NMCOT. 11. This one makes for a nice, mellow change of pace. No clue who this is, but I’d guess this is not a very recent recording. A little too short to really get a handle on. 12. I like this one quite a bit. This sounds like one of McCoy Tyner’s dates from the late ‘60’s / early ‘70’s. 13. Another bizarre track. The voice sounds familiar…is that Duke? Weird… Not much else to say about this one. I wouldn’t pull this out other than for its novelty value. 14. I’m not crazy about the concept of actually eating “mountain oysters,” but I love the tenor and the down and dirty r&b groove this tune has. This one makes you want to cringe and dance at the same time. 15. Nice, nice track. A real slow burner. I really like this one, but have no clue who it is. I want to hear the rest of this session. 16. I‘m not sure if this is really an add or just a really short track emulating an add. Not much else to say here. 17. Not my cup of tea at all. All in all a great BFT, Jim. As I said on the other discussion thread I really enjoyed listening to both discs, even the tracks labelled as NMCOT. I'll be following the discussion and answer thread avidly.

Out of the Supersilent discs 6 is very very good. 4 and 5 are not quite up to the same level, in my opinion. 1-3 is enjoyable, but formative. I've also heard the Deathpod box (which contains the single album Morals and Dogma) and really enjoy it. It is a lot more ambient than Supersilent. Deathprod (the name of one guy) is a member of Supersilent. Browsing the catalog I'd be most interested in hearing the Jazzkammer and Food discs. also, there is no real "ECM-connection" other than a now-discontinued distribution agreement. ECM used to distribute their discs. I don't really hear any similarites musically.

Does the rest of the album have this same sound or is this cut an aberration? I'll try to get my comments on disc #1 posted tomorrow.

I was just browsing through the 05/07 posts and I have to ask why we never have any get togethers like "Improvised Music and Hot Dogs?"

1. So this track should be a "gimme," but this sure doesn't sound like any Cannonball I've heard. Ok, there's the alto...this sounds like he was overdubbed onto the latin band we heard at the beginning of the track. They don't sound totally in sync. Kind of an odd track, really. 2. Ok, another one of those "machine guns / strings / sax blow outs" that seems ubiquitous these days. What a bizarre track. Is this "live" or an assemblage? I'm really curious to read who this is. 3. a little too lush and overly sweet for my tastes. Not really my cup of tea. The sax is ok, but still bordering on schmaltz. 4. someone very influenced by Billie Holliday. Not really my cup of tea. 5. This is more like it. Early on, the rhythm section seems out of sync with the horns. They (the rhythm section) are a freight train, out of control running down the tracks and the horns are trying to stay on for dear life. Freddie Hubbard? No clue on the tenor, although I really enjoy his playing. 6. dual pianos, no clue who this is. Out of ignorance I would guess Jarrett, but don't think that is correct. I go back and forth on my estimation of this track, so I could see myself either loving or hating this album. 7. I really liked this track. Soprano, which should narrow things down a bit, but I'm not hearing enough to go on to identify anyone. 8. Another bizarre track. Steel drum / percussion…the track quiets down, and then the trombone kicks in. What an odd song. I’d have to guess Ray Anderson, based on the quirkiness, and this doesn’t sound like Weirbos, definitely someone American. 9. Ouch, that synth is horrible. I want to give this track a chance, but the synth is killing this one for me. Really cheesy, awful. And over 11 minutes long, too. I’m hearing nothing redeeming here. Everything is processed to death. I would use this track as an example of the worst excesses of over-production and dated effects. This is one of the reasons people hate fusion. In some ways this almost sounds like something Prince would have done in the 80’s. The writing is different, which helps, but not enough to redeem the track in any way. Ugh. 10. Another track where the rhythm section sounds like they had way too much caffeine and can barely contain themselves. Quite a breakneck pace they are setting. I’m really enjoying the tenor. Was this recorded live? I would have loved to have seen this band in person. 11. This sounds like a brief studio excerpt from the recording of In A Silent Way. Based on that I'll guess Zawinul. What a bizarre disc, Jim! I had a lot of fun listening to this, even to the tracks I didn't really enjoy. Nicely done!

http://www.organissimo.org/forum/index.php...ndpost&p=133254

"So now I will continue my fight on a grander scale. Jazz Workshop Inc, the publisher of Charles Mingus' legacy of composition, will reissue, legitimately, the best stolen Mingus material on hand. We will press the very material released illegally by others, do it better and sell it back again-- with comprehensive notes, authentic photographs, historical data, cheaper rates. We will undersell the pirates and put them out of business. That is our plan. Joel Dorn heard my story and now we are armed: Revenge Records! Anyone in possession of pirated Mingus CD's, please contact us at the address below. The presses are waiting. Sue Mingus" 9 years later and still no second release on Revenge Records.....

To my ears, yesterday, what you describe was a good thing! In a way, this disc reminds me of an old-fashioned blowing / cutting session: a big group of horn players all trying to out-blow each other on consecutive solos. This album is sort of the european free improv version of Johnny Griffin's A Blowing Session. Definitely not what I always what I want to hear but, when I am in the mood for it, it really hits the spot.

I think this is one of the reasons I'm having trouble with this disc. Unlike Glasgow Sunday, where the two other musicians fill roles in the background, supporting Jandek, the earlier collaborations seem, to my ears, to work in the opposite way. Jandek moves to the back, allowing the collaborators to dominate and lead the proceedings. Perhaps if I get past this aversion I'll revise my opinion of FYF.

Follow Your Footsteps I like this one but probably less so than you, Dave. Nice playing by the guest guitarist but I have to wonder if that type of musicianship is best NOT found on a Jandek album, at least not at this point in Sterl’s career. (I’m thinking of the 2004 live set and just how good that trio worked together.) While our guest is clearly a more polished player than Jandek, he’s also much less interesting. ← I'm not quite ready to post my full thoughts on this one yet, as it is taking some time to sink in. My first impression is that this album is pleasant, but slight. I'm not finding too much to grab onto here. It doesn't sound, to my ears, that Jandek was very involved during the recording of this disc. It sounds like he sat back and let the other contributors take the lead which stops this album from having that essential "Jandek" sound that I look for when I grab one of his discs. My interim review: pleasant, but not essential.

I'll give a thumb's up to Peter Brötzmann's Clarinet Project - Berlin Djungle on Atavistic's Unheard Music Series. I like this quick blurb from AAJ, especially the last line: "Berlin Djungle (originally released on FMP) is a large-scale session from the 1984 JazzFest Berlin. Brötzmann is one of the original Globe Unity Orchestra members, and he takes that international concept and applies it here to a clarinet-based ensemble. Tony Coe, Ernst Ludwig Petrowsky, Louis Sclavis, J.D. Parran, and John Zorn join him on the front clarinet line. Augmenting them is trumpeter Toshinori Kondo, trombonists Hannes Bauer and Alan Tomlinson, and the “rhythm section” of William Parker and Tony Oxley. Much like similar efforts from both sides of the Atlantic, Berlin Djungle is both dense and sparse, delicate and bludgeoning, laser-beam tight and searchlight-wandering, an unrepeatable exhortation of something Benny Goodman might have nightmares about." Not essential, but a fun listen.

Not a disc I would recommend starting with for experiencing Sclavis' work, Peter Brötzmann's Clarinet Project - Berlin Djungle (Atavistic Unheard Music Series) is worth checking out just to hear Sclavis in quite an unusual situation. AAJ had a nice blurb review of this one: "Berlin Djungle (originally released on FMP) is a large-scale session from the 1984 JazzFest Berlin. Brötzmann is one of the original Globe Unity Orchestra members, and he takes that international concept and applies it here to a clarinet-based ensemble. Tony Coe, Ernst Ludwig Petrowsky, Louis Sclavis, J.D. Parran, and John Zorn join him on the front clarinet line. Augmenting them is trumpeter Toshinori Kondo, trombonists Hannes Bauer and Alan Tomlinson, and the “rhythm section” of William Parker and Tony Oxley. Much like similar efforts from both sides of the Atlantic, Berlin Djungle is both dense and sparse, delicate and bludgeoning, laser-beam tight and searchlight-wandering, an unrepeatable exhortation of something Benny Goodman might have nightmares about."

"Eventually" will be August 2nd. ←

"Eventually" will be August 2nd. Eremite is releasing a 2cd set called Blue Winter, of the entire Johnson State College show (the show I mentioned attending back in December.)

Really? That is a shame. If I knew that a musician felt this way I would make a point of not downloading their material. Leo must be getting pennies on the dollar from Emusic, as they reimburse per track, not per album. Many Leos have one to four tracks, making each album amazingly inexpensive to download.

I just saw a post from Jan Strom that there is a new disc out on Ayler: Lars-Göran Ulander Trio - Live at Glenn Miller Café (Ayler) with Palle Danielsson, b Paal Nilssen-Love, dr This is the first I've heard of Ulander. Are any of you familiar with his work?

Track #2 is vinyl only, also, if this discography is to be believed. I'm enjoying this track quite a bit but, so far, it's my wife's favorite track on the BFT. She loves this one, if it is indeed the track I linked to.

Agreed. This is a fantastic offer! I've been enjoying all of the discs on Leo I've been hearing recently. This will be a good chance to explore some titles I'm not as familiar with.

Discs received! The Man With The Golden Arm and Stereojack will have their discs in the mail tomorrow.

Have any of you had a chance to listen to the (now OOP) 8cd set Document: New Music From Russia: the '80's yet? I am going to start downloading this set from emusic and was wondering if any of the discs were worth avoiding or if the entire set was essential. I'm listening to Frank Gratkowski's Spectral Reflections right now and enjoying it quite a bit. Have any of you heard his new double cd set Loft Exile V? It features two live concerts, with three to four horns, two bass players and two drummers. It sounds very interesting.

Again I agree with Chaney and Dave 100%. Modern Dances sounds like a patchwork album to me. A collection of tracks, recorded at various times, with various combinations of friends helping out. (I agree that there is a second male voice on a few tracks.) That being said, it doesn't hold together very well as an album and the general level of inspiration is fairly low. Anyone who delves deeply into the Jandek catalog should grab a copy of this one at some point, as it is humorous and has some points of interest, but it is definitely not essential and definitely not one of the first discs I would recommend to someone starting to explore the work of Jandek. I wonder if this album was recorded so "hot" intentionally? Perhaps to make the songs sound more aggresive? Or was it just ineptness with some new recording equipment?